Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Chatting => Equipment Shed => Topic started by: bigfatb on October 30, 2012, 16:17

Title: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: bigfatb on October 30, 2012, 16:17

Most of my plot hasn't been dug or rotovated for years. The ground is clear of weeds but is as hard as a car park. The soil is mainly a light sandy soil but has been compacted with years of lack of cultivation. The rotovator is only going down about 2 inches even with a number of passes. I thought it may be easier now because the ground is quite damp but surprisingly its still bone hard.

Any ideas anyone?

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: Aidy on October 30, 2012, 16:21

Might be worth if your able to give a once over dig to  break it up, then on it will be easy to rotovate there after.

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: smud6ie on October 30, 2012, 17:30

What rotovator are you using?
smud6ie

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: bigfatb on October 30, 2012, 18:53

Alko 350/4

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: smud6ie on October 30, 2012, 19:07

Quote from: bigfatb on October 30, 2012, 18:53

Alko 350/4

Have you got the arestor well down a the back so you can control the weight on the tines?
smud6ie

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: bigfatb on October 30, 2012, 19:18

No, I just have it a little higher and just let it get on with digging!
Please could you explain please?

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: Kleftiwallah on October 30, 2012, 19:29

Aidy has hit the nail on the head.  Your patch is mainly compacted soil.  If you rotavate all you do is froth up the top few inches,  looks good but at the depth of the tines there is a thick hard level subsurface which your lovingly tended plant's roots will give up trying to fight their way through and make do with the water (what water !) on the upper levels.

Bite the bullet and double dig incorporating as much muck as you can.

Cheers,   Tony.

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: smud6ie on October 30, 2012, 19:45

Quote from: bigfatb on October 30, 2012, 19:18

No, I just have it a little higher and just let it get on with digging!
Please could you explain please?

You need to lower it so it holds the machine back which makes it dig deeper.
smud6ie

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: Amilo on November 19, 2012, 15:05

I have not tried this but it might be worth considering....

Rotovate to as deep as you can go then spade a strip of the rotovated soil to one side (just as you would if you were double digging), then rotovate the exposed strip again. It may save a lot of back ache.

Title: Re: Whats the best technique for rotovating my plot
Post by: AlaninCarlisle on November 19, 2012, 15:18

I had exactly the same problem with a previously uncultivated piece of clay-based pasture. No solution, including hiring in a heavy-duty rotavator until I bit the bullet and hand-dug it all and then broke up the clumps with a fork. Then my own rotavator did the job